


A Canopy of Wings

by JemTheKingOfSass



Category: Free!
Genre: A smidge of MakoGou at the end, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Bird People, But also wings and tail feathers and decorative plumage, Everyone has human anatomy, M/M, My apologies to the police, They are all 18yo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-04-22 02:48:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14299116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JemTheKingOfSass/pseuds/JemTheKingOfSass
Summary: Haruka felt a hand wrap around his ankle to tug him out of Rin’s grip. He clung with all his strength to Rin’s hand, but he was caught in the middle, one bird trying to pull him back down, the other trying to raise him up. Rin turned around when Haruka stopped moving skyward.“Haru, hang on!” Rin clung to his hand and returned to his side, chocolate wings beating madly, to wrap his other arm around Haruka’s waist and rip him free from the vulture. Rin let go of his hand to hold the panicked kite firmly in his arms. “Kick your feet Haru! I’ll get you outta here.”





	A Canopy of Wings

**Author's Note:**

> One of my writing goals this year is to write a Fantasy AU. Check.  
> Another one of my goals is to include more of the swimming crew in the story, instead of just the main couple. Check.  
> I have always thought outlining a story ahead of time makes so much sense so as a writer you have some grasp on where you roughly want the story to go ~~versus just winging it~~. CHECK.
> 
> An enormous thank you to [Julie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starstarfairy) for looking this over and pushing me! This story is all the better for it. <333
> 
> No one asked for a Winged AU in which our lovable swimming dorks are half-bird people but here we are.
> 
>  

 

*********

 

Haruka entered his bedroom to find his flatmate and best friend seated at the desk researching for the future. He took one hard look at the stack of pamphlets spread out over his desk and scattered around Makoto’s feet before he stumbled over to the bed and collapsed face first. 

 

“Haru, do you know what kind of internship you want to do yet?” Makoto inquired innocently. Haruka frowned and muffled a groan into the mattress.

 

He raised his head slightly to respond. “No. I don’t know what I want to do. School just ended, I don’t want to think about being an adult yet.” Haruka stretched his arms over his head and yawned. “I just want to fly.”

 

Haruka knew as well as Makoto that flying was the last thing they should be spending their time doing. Along with every other young bird just graduated from high school, they were at the start of their four-month interim period between youth and adulthood, when they were supposed to be on a brief journey of self-discovery. Ideally this would culminate in a crystal clear realization of a career path, a metamorphosis into the perfect vocation. There were no figures of authority to guide them in Iwatobi for the season, merely a crop of fresh-faced, young adults converged in the small seaside town seeking an epiphany and an intellectual molting. 

 

“But it’s late! It’s practically dark out!” Makoto vibrated with surprise, despite being well-acquainted with his friend’s desire to roam the sky at all times of the day, all days of the week. 

 

Haruka stifled a sigh and get off the bed. “I’m going. You can stay here if you want, but I need to fly.” He went over to the window and pushed it open, before he unfurled his sleek caramel and cream wingspan and released his ebony and cream tail feathers. He threw his next words casually over his shoulder at his best friend while he swung his legs over the ledge. “Are you coming or not?

 

Makoto nodded his head so hard his bristly white filoplumes quivered around his face as he let out his own oversized white and black wings. He rolled his shoulders. “Are you sure you want to go out again? We’ve been out flying every day we’ve been here and we went earlier this afternoon.”

 

“You didn’t have to move in with me. You could have chosen Nagisa.” Haruka did not want to talk anymore, he wanted to _soar_. He also did not want to think about not living with Makoto during this holding period. Haruka harbored no intention of expanding his social network any further than necessary in order to come up with a plan for the rest of his life. The problem was he had no idea what he wanted to spend his time doing besides flying, unfettered and free. Haruka leapt off the sill and spread his wings with a few brisk pumps to let the air lift him up before he would have to do any more work. He preferred floating through the sky feeling weightless, as opposed to using his powerful pectoral muscles to propel himself with speed and trajectory. He closed his eyes and felt Makoto shift the air around him.

 

“Haru, I didn’t want to live with anyone else for our internship season. Four months of Nagisa as a roommate might drive even me crazy,” Makoto chuckled but Haruka knew he told the truth. He felt the same way. There was no one he could tolerate, who could tolerate him if he was being completely honest, for a significant period of time besides the stork flying beside him. 

 

“I want to go by the ocean.” Haruka reached out a hand for his friend, expecting resistance and anxiety. 

 

Makoto’s green eyes blinked down at Haruka’s hand before he grabbed for it. “Alright Haru. It’ll probably be fine if we’re together.”

 

As they approached the shore linked together, high above the surface of the water, Haruka watched the sun start its descent on the horizon, the pinks and oranges glowing as they slowly sunk into the sea. He was so entranced he almost missed a flicker of movement down by the waves. He tilted his head down to watch, sure his eyes were playing tricks on him. “Makoto. Do you see that?”

 

Makoto turned his head and saw what Haruka pointed at because he let out a yelp as he shifted his large body behind his friend’s. “Ah Haru! Is that a vulture! We should go back before it sees us!”

 

“Makoto calm down. Look how that bird is gliding, it looks like it’s weaving in and out of the waves. I don’t think vultures spend their free time frolicking in the water.” Haruka tore his hand from the stork’s and flew down closer to the surface.

 

“Haru wait!” Makoto hustled to catch up, and Haruka heard his friend's strong, dependable wings beating just behind him. 

 

As they got closer, Haruka was struck first by the winged man’s hair. It was blood red and it appeared fuzzy even as it flowed out behind him while he soared just above the waves. Definitely not a vulture. As he watched, the impressive chocolate brown wings did not move, appearing as though the bird glided endlessly and effortlessly. Makoto gasped loudly behind him, and the redhead pulled up a short distance from them as he snapped his head up towards the sound. 

 

“Gonna stare at me or fly with me?” He challenged with a grin on his face, which was quite possibly prettier than his hair, sharp, fine-boned, and all angles. His large red eyes matched his hair and Haruka reeled back when he threw an arm out towards them, beckoning them over. “Come on, let’s race.”

 

“I’ll stay here and keep lookout. You go ahead,” Makoto assured his best friend. “I don’t want to swim that close to the water. You know we shouldn’t.”

 

Haruka hesitated a moment, thinking about drifting closer towards the gorgeous, graceful bird. He felt a slight tug in his gut, the rippling surface of the water and a fleeting challenge tempted him. He stared at the redhead, unable to look away, who, clearly unimpressed with their hesitancy, zoomed up towards them and pulled to a stop. 

 

“I’m Matsuoka Rin. I’m the fastest bird you’ll ever have the pleasure of flying with. Think you can keep up? I mean, you look quick. What’s your name?” His new companion took a breath and Haruka felt winded just listening.

 

Unfailingly cordial, Makoto piped up first. "I'm Tachibana Makoto but you can call me Makoto. This is-" Makoto cut himself off and jostled the reticent bird with his shoulder while lowering his voice to a borderline patronizing tone that Haruka probably needed in a situation like this, but loathed all the same. "Introduce yourself, Haru."

 

“My name is Nanase Haruka.”

 

Matsuoka looked overly satisfied to know their names. “Have you ever done any water flying before?” 

 

“No.” Haruka knew exactly what water flying was and had longed to try since he was young. Water was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, although maybe he could not say that honestly anymore.

 

“Oh it’s wicked fun, especially racing out here on the ocean where there are waves and rock formations to watch out for.” Matsuoka leered at Haruka as he leaned forward into his space. “But don’t try to win so much that you flap your wings too hard or you’ll get them all wet.”

 

Haruka cringed and drew back. “I don’t mind getting my wings wet.” 

 

“Tch. You have all these pretty feathers though.” Matsuoka tickled his fingers through the jet black contour feathers along the back edge of Haruka’s left wing. “Those will get soaked in no time and slow you down. You don’t wanna lose, do you Nanase?”

 

“I don’t really care about that, I just like flying,” argued Haruka, then frowned because he did not want to be debating anything with this nuisance of a bird.

 

“Why race at all then? Here, come on, let’s just get started and I bet I’ll fire you up and make you want to win! If you can, of course.” Matsuoka smirked at him with a cocked eyebrow raised in direct challenge.

 

“I don’t race.” Haruka shrugged. His interest was piqued, however this presumptuous bird had too big of a mouth. He had four short months to be free, with no school or work, and certainly with no forced camaraderie from pushy peers. He wanted to fly by the water he admired, which was why he had dragged his best friend out of their flat every night of the season so far. However, the sea provided solitude and tranquility and introspection, not competition and disruption and exuberance. 

 

“Makoto.” Haruka swiveled to the stork and pulled him a little bit away from Matsuoka, needing to distance himself from the insistent bird and his water flying. He was not tempted to race just to try an activity that had previously drawn his attention. He was not. “It’s getting late, let’s go back.”

 

“Are you okay, Haru? We haven’t really done much flying yet,” argued Makoto, despite being reluctant to come out to the ocean in the first place. He gestured towards where Matsuoka hovered, looking mildly annoyed, waiting on them to come to their senses. “Maybe he wants to come flying with us?”

 

“No. I’m going home now.” Haruka held out his hand for Makoto, but his friend had already gone back to Matsuoka. He watched them converse for a moment with a scowl firmly affixed to his face, but grudgingly flitted closer to rescue the stork out of the other bird’s excitable clutches if necessary.

 

“Nice to meet you, Makoto! That’s too bad you guys have to leave already, you just got here. It _is_ getting late though, I should probably head out too. It’s a long flight back towards Sano,” chuckled the redhead nervously. If it was possible to vocally fidget, Haruka knew Matsuoka was not only capable of it, but did it right then.

 

Makoto bade farewell to his new friend, with whom he was already on a first name basis. “Bye Rin! Hopefully we see you around this season!” 

 

“See you around, Nanase!” trilled Matsuoka, watching him intently. Annoyed, Haruka seized Makoto’s arm and tugged it down. They took off for the shore, soaring through the twilight sky over the sea. This was exactly what Haruka wanted to be doing with his best friend, but his wings sounded too loud, each stroke a little off balance, his mind unsettled. He needed to get back to their flat.

 

*********

 

Haruka perched on his windowsill alone, gazing at the blushing clouds and glowing ball of the slowly sinking sun. Makoto sat out in the living room watching a show about orca whales, presumably waiting for the request to join his roommate for his nightly excursion into the skies. He had no reason nor desire to explain himself to Makoto. He gave the door one last fleeting glance and took off to follow the pull of the water.

 

He arrived shortly and landed delicately on the soft sand, still warm from being baked under the sun all day. Haruka had made no plans to meet anyone here, had no intention of doing anything except lay on the beach overseeing the lapping waves. Yet, he waited expectantly for a certain presence to arrive, to begin skimming over the ocean. His pulse quickened when he sensed a bird, _the bird_ , as he approached, hair softly flowing behind him, glowing even redder in the waning light than he remembered it. Haruka observed the other as he had first seen him the previous evening, swooping low against the surface of the water, moving smoothly amongst the occasional outcrops. Time ceased to exist as the sun was lost to the horizon, and Haruka was entranced, only broken out of his reverent observation when the object of his scrutiny departed for the night. 

 

The black-eared kite returned every night that week to watch Matsuoka from the safety of the shore, an anonymous witness to the other bird’s routine. Sometimes Matsuoka spent his time flying at moderate speeds, seemingly expending little energy as he wove around obstacles. But Haruka’s favorite times, if he were to admit to having preferences, were when the redhead went all-out, zooming along the top of the sea, hardly beating his wings but gliding at top speeds. A part of him itched to alert Matsuoka to his presence, so he could show him how _he_ flew, but then contemplated all the noise that would buzz around him if he engaged the other, and he hunkered down even lower in the sand, glowering at the inaccessible ocean.

 

When Haruka went home after the sixth straight night of observing the unaware bird, he was restless to know more about him without indulging him in conversation or false hopes of an upcoming race. He crested through his open window, expecting to be able to fall straight into bed for hours of the relentless mental exercise that plagued him over the last week. Instead, he fell straight into Makoto.

 

“Haru!” His best friend unceremoniously pushed him off his lap, and Haruka landed on his back on the mattress, wings slightly crumpled underneath him in the process. “I know where you’ve been going. I was worried when you weren’t here late at night, so I followed you.”

 

Haruka averted his face to furiously study his headboard. He was sure Makoto expected him to respond, but maybe if he ignored him this conversation could be put off until tomorrow.

 

“Why do you keep going down there if you aren’t going to fly with Rin?”

 

He did not want to be discussing this at all. There was no answer he could give because he did not have one for himself. He knew Matsuoka bore wings that belonged only to the fastest of birds, and that he could glide effortlessly further than Haruka could possibly dream. He was also aware that this redheaded common swift was brash, loud, and bothersome. Haruka wanted to be out there with him, skimming over the waves at high speeds, positive he would keep up and surpass, put Matsuoka on his heels. Yet, the kite still yearned to simply go peacefully out to the ocean and soar languidly through the clouds.

 

“I don’t want to fly with Matsuoka. I just want to fly,” persisted Haruka. “Let’s go tomorrow morning, you and me, like we’ve always done.” That was what he needed, he was sure of it, and he really did not need to think about it, _think about him_ , anymore. He longed to return to the simple, oblivious life he had been living when the season started.

 

Looking amused, Makoto tipped his head slightly to the side and flashed him his gentle smile. “If you’re positive that’s what you want, Haru.”

 

Haruka narrowed his eyes at the stork. “I’m positive.”

 

After a fretful night of sleep, a rushed breakfast, and hurried promises to explore his future as soon as they returned, Haruka launched himself into the sky with his best friend by his side. They rose high above the rooftops, soaring towards the ocean, seeking the comfort and solace of an activity performed together countless times. As they reached their destination, the kite shut his eyes and let the breeze brush his cheeks and stroke his hair, feeling the air as he moved through it, became one with it. He heard the splashes of breaking waves against the shore, the screeches of fledglings playing in the surf- 

 

And that was it. Those were the only noises he discerned. Haruka snapped open his eyes and tilted his face down towards the water, eyes roving by the rocky outcrops and other watery terrain. He strained his ears for the whistling of wind as it slipped almost noiselessly around a perfectly rigid chocolate wingspan, for the muttered exclamations that were never held back from a mouth that did too much talking. He searched the sea trying to locate a distinctive forked tail and mop of fuzzy red tresses rocketing close to the water. He no longer flew, but merely hovered over the shallows, visually combing for the swift that was obviously not present. 

 

“Haru?” Nothing, not even his deepest thoughts, ever seemed to escape Makoto’s notice. “Do you want to go back?” 

 

“I want to keep flying.” Haruka insisted, tamping down his rising doubts. That was the only response that popped into his mind and came out of his mouth, the only thing that made sense. As the two birds continued their unhurried exercise through the morning clouds, there was something missing, just out of reach, something that itched and Haruka wanted to scratch. A thin thread of dissatisfaction twined its way around the kite, and if he was completely honest with himself, Haruka was not sure what he wanted anymore. 

 

*********

 

Early the next evening, Haruka sat on the floor propped against the side of his bed, while he resisted the urge to meander down to the ocean, determined to regain his composure. Perhaps Makoto was right and he had done far too much nighttime prowling and nowhere near enough thinking about the next stage of his life. He sighed. Blank, formless images of his indeterminate future did little to soothe his ruffled mind.

 

Makoto lightly knocked on his door and then pushed it open, not waiting for any response from the bedroom’s occupant. “Ah, you’re still here.”

 

“Where else would I be?” Haruka responded sharply, and immediately regretted using his own turmoil against his best friend.

 

The stork crouched down next to him and rested a hand over one of his that lay limply on the floor. “I’d like to go down to the ocean tonight. Will you come with me?” Makoto’s soft smile was replaced by a look that felt like he was probing Haruka’s soul for the _right thing to do to make Haru feel better_ , answers the kite avoided facing but allowed his friend to pull out of him. He nodded his assent, at which Makoto’s face broke out in his signature expression as he rose back up to his full height. He graciously extended a hand to Haruka, who permitted himself to be pulled upright and over to the window. Makoto glanced over, and Haruka maintained his grasp on his friend’s hand, knowing he was leaving behind more than just his bedroom once he leapt off the windowsill. 

 

They made it to the seashore in no time, Haruka’s mounting anticipation pushing him to high speeds and forcing Makoto to keep up. They pulled to a stop and landed on the beach, both entirely aware of why they were here but not discussing it. Haruka’s eyes roamed the expanse of the water but there was nothing, nobody, skimming along the surface. A twinge of disappointment struck Haru just as an elbow tentatively poked into his side. Makoto pointed his chin over to the right of where they stood, where an unmistakable bird soundlessly soared towards them. 

 

Matsuoka dropped next to them with a smug expression and a scoff. “Tch. I knew you’d be back to water fly with me.”

 

“We’re back for the water,” retorted Haruka, not allowing himself to give in to the swift’s mild taunting. 

 

Rin merely gazed at him in bemusement before turning to Makoto and gesturing to the ocean. “You wanna give it a try out there?” 

 

“But what about vultures?” Makoto practically squeaked out his singular concern with spending an evening on Uradome Beach.

 

“What about them? There aren’t any here right now, we’d see them. Plus, I’m speedy and can get away from any other bird that comes along if I need to. I’ll keep you both safe if vultures show up. Now come on let’s water fly, it’s so fun!” Rin appeared to casually dismiss the stork’s fears, but when Haruka turned to defend his best friend, he saw that Makoto was relieved at the ready confidence and offer of protection.

 

The stork followed the cocky swift over to the water’s surface, which gleamed with the rich colors of sunset. As Haruka remained firmly planted in the sand, Makoto and Matsuoka took off, laughing the whole way, dipping down to trail their fingers and toes into the water, as they sailed along the top of the sea that undulated beneath them. He observed the easy familiarity and delight between them and felt a tug at his core, like the water itself tried to yank him out of his stagnation. With a grunt of reluctant acceptance, Haruka fluttered over to the two birds. 

 

The redhead tried to show off a barrel roll he had been working on, but he got too flashy and ended up with wet hair, crimson down soaked flat against his head. Haruka let out a quiet snort of amusement. “Is this what you wanted us to see, Matsuoka?”

 

“Oi, Nanase, if you’re gonna laugh at me you can drop the formality. Call me Rin,” demanded the swift, red eyes squinted nearly shut as water streamed down his face. He dramatically attempted to shake the ocean out of his sodden locks.

 

Not to be outdone, the kite made his own assertions. “Fine, then you call me Haru.” He threw them each a dirty look when the response to his stipulation was hearty chuckling from both other birds. He pouted for a moment before deflecting the focus off himself. “You have a lot of plumage in your hair, Rin.”

 

“Yeah, I’ve never seen anything quite like it,” agreed Makoto. “Those feathers are really cool looking though. Are they as soft as they look?”

 

Rin blushed along his cheeks and even the bridge of his nose flushed pink. “They are soft but they draw a lot of attention. My sister has them too and I don’t like how she gets looked at when she’s out and about. I like them but they’re a nuisance when people want to touch them.” 

 

“People touch them? Without asking?” Haruka was extremely bothered by this revelation. He already avoided others when he could, finding people exhausting to be around for great lengths of time. The thought of a part of his body attracting unwanted attention and giving a stranger the audacity to try to physically connect with him made him recoil on Rin’s behalf. Haruka admitted to himself that the brilliantly colored down feathers that adorned Rin’s head were quite alluring, even sopping wet, he could only imagine how they felt. He would never assume he could reach out to grab one. There was one plastered to Rin’s forehead, and Haruka only gave the idea of brushing it off his face a passing thought.

 

A few passing thoughts later, he realized Rin answered him and he had missed the first part of what was said. ”...It just gets old is all, I’d like it if strangers stopped groping my hair.”

 

A shrill squawk sounded by the shore, cutting off Rin’s complaints. All three birds whipped their heads towards the noise, Makoto lurching behind the other two and Rin moving subtly in front of them both. Haruka stayed where he was because he instantly recognized the bubbling blond hummingbird that zoomed towards them, bright pink semiplumes fluttering wildly around his neck, long emerald and sapphire tail feathers rippling behind him, bright colors noticeable even in the waning light. 

 

“Hey Mako! Hey Haru! I haven’t seen you since graduation! What are you doing here at Uradome this close to sunset? Isn’t this when the vultures come out?” The smaller winged man moved his head around quickly, magenta eyes taking in the situation. “I’m Nagisa. Are you already friends with Mako and Haru?” He thrust a hand towards Rin, which he accepted readily. Nagisa turned the pseudo-handshake into a hug as he unceremoniously tugged the taller bird in for an embrace. 

 

“Ah, you could have just asked for a hug. I’d have probably given you one,” Rin admonished, rubbing at the back of his neck as soon as he was released. 

 

Nagisa laughed and clapped his hands and pointed at Rin. “So who are you and what’re guys doing out here?”

 

“I’m Rin and I’m trying to show these guys what water flying’s all about. Wanna do it too?” inquired Rin, his mouth pulled into a smile which lit up his whole face. Haruka felt like the noon sun came back out. 

 

Haruka snorted. “Do you try to convince everyone you meet to give it a try with you?”

 

“It’s getting awfully dark. Don’t you think we could wait ‘til tomorrow?” Makoto asked Rin, concern lacing every word. “We should all get home.”

 

Rin grudgingly agreed with the stork. “Yeah, I’ll come back here tomorrow morning.” He turned towards Haruka, eyes shimmering with frustration. “I like asking people because my lug of a best friend refuses to do it with me and I _need_ to be out here. He knows that but he won’t ever come with me, says playing around isn’t what an albatross should be doing while he’s trying to figure out his future and make his parents proud. So I come here by myself.”

 

The four birds ascended into the air, slowly gaining altitude as they moved away from sea level. In the wake of Rin’s short emotionally-charged speech, silence fell over all of them as they flew back towards the bank of temporary housing units. 

 

“Are you living with your best friend for the season?” Nagisa wondered out loud, never one to let quiet dissuade him from voicing his thoughts for too long. “He sounds intense.”

 

Rin glanced over at the colorful bird. “No. He lives with my twin sister.”

 

Haruka glanced up in surprise at that remark. “You don’t live with your sister or your best friend?” Not that he had any siblings, but he actively wondered what would make Rin want to live with someone else who was not family or friend-family, as he often categorized Makoto. 

 

“Well, Gou, that’s my sister, she has the same down in her hair that I do, and I don’t really trust other people around her. But I trust her with Sousuke. He’s like a brother to both of us and he wouldn’t let anything ever happen to her.” At the mention of the carmine down, all three heads turned to look at Rin’s hair as he soared alongside them. Now that they were mostly dry again, they lay against his hair, lifting and falling softly as the air moved them. Rin peered over his shoulder. “Alright, enough, you gawkers! They’re just feathers, jeez.”

 

“They’re beautiful,” Nagisa scolded his new friend with a smile. “Don’t you think so Haru?”

 

Makoto and Haruka reared up as they reached the vast expanse of neighborhoods. “Yes,” the kite replied, face turned away from the group as he felt his cheeks heat up. “Makoto. Let’s go.”

 

“We’re heading this way,” the stork jerked his thumb to the right, towards the top of the hill which housed Misagozaki Shrine. 

 

“I’m not too far but I’m just straight ahead. I’ll see you guys tomorrow so we can water fly together!” Nagisa waved and flew on ahead towards his house. 

 

“Eh, I’m way over on the other side of town, by Sano. Gou, Sousuke, and I were late getting into Iwatobi for this soul-searching pilgrimage or whatever, so I got assigned a random roommate at the last minute. The three of us wanted to be by each other and everything over here was taken.” Rin shrugged. “Anyway, will you guys come tomorrow too?” 

 

Haruka gave a sharp nod before he fully considered what he was agreeing to. He simply knew he wanted to water fly with Rin more. The practice had intrigued him before, but what little they had done tonight thoroughly captivated him. He had longed to feel the ocean for so long, but had always been talked out of taking the risk and never felt like exerting the effort to make it happen. Rin did not seem concerned about vultures bothering him, which made Haruka dismiss any lingering doubts. Despite Rin being overly persistent and annoyingly talkative, the kite intuitively trusted him and his judgment already. “I’ll come and I’ll bring Makoto with me."

 

“Haru!” Makoto whined next to him. “Wasn’t one night enough?”

 

Rin grinned gleefully and rocketed off towards the other side of town, a good ten minute flight for the average bird. As Haruka watched him depart, flashing a wave over his shoulder, long swept-back wings held out rigidly and proudly, he sensed this swift was anything but common.

 

*********

 

“Haru, are you sure this is a good idea?” Makoto asked for the umpteenth time since they had woken up. “We should be spending our time traveling the prefecture, finding people to take us on for the day, to see if we can find something we like. You know what these months are for, aren’t you worried about what you’re going to do after this season is done?” 

 

Haruka sighed and slipped a t-shirt over his head, working it over his tucked wings before pushing them through. “I can always work for my parents in Hokkaido. I don’t want to but if I don’t find anything, I can do that.”

 

Makoto looked appalled at Haruka’s lack of interest in his future. “But you don’t want to leave Tottori! And that’s on the other side of the country!” Haruka shrugged in disinterest, wishing Makoto would let it drop so they could get back to the water. Get back to Rin. “Haru, don’t you care about what you’re going to do?”

 

“Makoto. I’m going water flying today. You’re the one who pushed me to go back out and find Rin. You already set up a lunch meeting for us later today. I can grovel for unpaid work tomorrow.” Haruka pulled the hem of his shirt down to cover his lean torso and frowned at the persistent stork. “Are you coming or not?”

 

His friend came over to grab a sweatshirt for himself, since he got easily chilled in the early morning air at high altitude. Haruka knew he’d be able to borrow it later when Makoto inevitably got too warm and he was the one wanting another layer. They made for the window, but a hand on the kite’s arm stopped his progress. 

 

“Haru, what about the vultures? We should talk about this.” Makoto had his serious mothering face on, which Haruka never really minded since he had not been mothered by anyone other than Makoto in far too many years. Although, he minded it right now; he did not want to think about vultures. Makoto watched the news and Haruka could not help but overhear all the headlines about birds with rare features being snatched right out of the air if they ventured too close to the water where the vultures lurked. He vividly remembered the story one month ago about a young girl with unforgettable orange and black wings who had been on a seaside flight with her brothers. A strong gust of wind had blown her slight frame further than her wings could beat her back to her siblings, and she had been taken by vultures in broad daylight. Haruka could still see her face in his mind, could easily recall the fluffy, rust orange powder down tufts that framed her face, highly unusual for orioles. The birdnappings were steadily increasing in number, vultures getting more bold, stepping out from the watery shadows of nighttime.

 

“Rin is the one with valuable down. He’s not worried about getting harassed or losing any feathers to the Black Market, so why should we be worried? I’m sure he knows what he’s talking about.” Haruka wanted to be back on top of the water, feeling his fingers groove temporary paths in the surface, watching the drops sparkle in the light as he flicked them off his fingertips. He did not want to be here thinking about vultures. They were a significant problem but the water was too lovely and alluring to be avoided because of them. “If it makes you feel better to ask Nagisa about his semiplumes, then warn _him_. I’ll be fine.”

 

Makoto did not look convinced but the kite knew he would follow him wherever he went. “Alright Haru, we’ll go this once. It _was_ fun last night and Rin is so enthusiastic he could probably talk me into anything. He seems like someone we’ll be friends with.”

 

Haruka hummed in agreement, as he perched on the windowsill waiting to go to the ocean. His best friend joined him, hand outstretched for the comforting gesture so often shared between them. Haruka obliged and gave a reassuring squeeze. Within moments, the two birds took flight back to the sea to skim along the water once more. 

 

Rin and Nagisa already raced along the waves when Haruka and Makoto landed at the water’s edge, the playful sounds of laughter and splashing easily reaching their ears. As if the atmosphere shifted upon arrival, the redheaded swift flailed to a stop and peered over at where they stood. He shouted something Haruka could not make out over the noise of the surf, but he understood the summoning motion that accompanied the yells. He thought about Makoto’s concerns as he watched Rin carelessly draw attention to himself. However, the temptation of the water was too great to derail him for too long, and he sped over to where Rin and Nagisa waited.

 

After numerous casual flights across the surface, Rin gathered them together in a huddle. The four birds hovered above the surface, vibrating with anticipation, feeding off Rin’s excitement. “Alright,” he began. “Since all three of you know how it works now, and have practiced a bit, let’s race! We’ll start by that rock that’s jutting up out of the water just over there, and do you see that copse of palm trees over there? Let’s go all the way over to the trees, turn around, and end up back at the rock where we started. How does that sound?”

 

Nagisa’s face beamed in such a broad smile Haruka thought his head might crack in half. “I’m in, RinRin!” Rin scowled at the nickname but was clearly so stoked for the race that the expression held little fire, and certainly would not deter a firecracker like the hummingbird.

 

“That’s a good distance, Rin. Do you think we can stay above the water that long without getting wet?” Makoto fussed, turning to Haruka. “Haru?”

 

“Oi, Haru!” chuckled Rin, as he pointed over to the aforementioned rock. Haruka was still in earshot but had begun heading towards the starting location. There was nothing left to discuss, the rules were established. Now that he was here, he wanted to race. He needed to see what was so alluring about pushing past known boundaries, testing one’s mettle against friends, turning a simple activity into an experience. The three remaining birds rushed to join him as he waited impatiently.

 

Once they were all expectantly poised on the outcrop, Haruka watched Rin quivering in anticipation. “Alright boys. Ready? Set? Go!” They all took off like a shot, gliding over the water, twisting through splashing waves, ducking around small stone formations, desperate to reach the palms before the return leg. Haruka experienced sheer joy pulsing through him, energizing him, focusing him. He wanted to win. He chanced glances at the others. Makoto was behind, just off his right shoulder, Nagisa alongside him, a little further away. Up ahead of him to his left, was Rin, bobbing and weaving like his life depended on it. Swift indeed. Haruka summoned every ounce of his kite-speed and beat his wings recklessly, risking them getting wet at this point, anything to pull in front of Rin.

 

Haruka urged his body forward, the rock formation loomed large in front of him. He felt his contour feathers as they dripped seawater back where it belonged, weighing him down a little. Steadily he flapped to increase his speed, tailfeathers held rigidly out behind him, and surged forward to the rock. He snapped his head over to the left just in time for the Rin’s arrival, whose head hung down as he breathed hard. Haru looked over to see Makoto and Nagisa finish the race, both looking jubilant and exhilarated and as out of breath as Rin.

 

Haruka calmly panted as he turned once more to the incredibly fast swift on his left. He had never felt so high, whether fueled by rarely-felt adrenaline or the rush of victory, he did not know. Rin lifted his head to look at the others, zeroing in on Haruka. 

 

“Holy. Shit.” He gasped out. “You’re so fast, Haru! I’ve never had to fly that hard and I still lost. Barely, mind you, but still. You’re amazing!” He leaned over to throw his arm across Haruka’s shoulder like it belonged there and squeezed him in a one-armed hug. Makoto and Nagisa crashed into them from the other side and the four of them huddled in an impromptu embrace, toes dangling in the sea, wings languidly fluttering around themselves.

 

Rin stopped laughing and pierced Haruka with an ardent gaze. “Race me again, Haru.”

 

Makoto cleared his throat. “Actually, we need to go. We have lunch plans with our neighbors, who have some good connections with a few local business owners. Since neither of us have any leads on our future yet, this is kinda important.”

 

“I have to go too, RinRin! I promised my roommate I’d be home in time to help him with his research!” Nagisa reluctantly admitted he also needed to leave. 

 

The swift shrugged one shoulder. “No worries.” They all started towards the shore together, Makoto and Nagisa in the front chattered about what they had seen while they were skimming the water. Haruka thought he heard the word ‘mackerel’ when his arm was caught in a firm grip that felt like an electric shock on his skin. He spun around, Makoto’s cautionary vulture lectures kicking his fight or flight response to the forefront.

 

“Haru, same time, same place tomorrow. Race me again?” Rin pleaded in a hushed, urgent tone, a flicker of desperation crossing his face. Haruka glanced at the hand that rested on his forearm and wondered if it would leave a brand behind, it was so hot. He was glad he had not asked Makoto for his sweatshirt after all.

 

“I don’t know. I’m supposed to be starting my future tomorrow,” Haruka argued, heart rate not slowing as quickly as it should. He really did not look forward to figuring out what to do with his life. It could wait, the future was not going anywhere. And if it left without him, maybe he would be able to stay where he was, aging but not moving forward, coming to the ocean to water fly and drag his feet. That would not be so bad, that could be his new plan.

 

Rin shot him an unimpressed glare. “We’ve got loads of time left to figure all that out.”

 

“Do you know what you’re doing then?” Haruka shot back defensively, worried he was the only one completely aimless, clueless as to where this four-month long self-examination would lead. He assumed most other newly adult birds possessed at least an inkling of where they were headed, what they were doing, what came next. He recalled the excited conversations of his peers as they discussed where they might be in a year’s time, the world spread out before them like a red carpet of possibilities. 

 

“I’m going to finish what my dad started.” At that, Rin turned away from Haruka and let go of his sleeve. The kite longed for the contact to return immediately. He reached out for Rin, impulsively grabbing his bare arm. 

 

“I’ll be here. Tomorrow.” He knew he stared at Rin, but he tried to impress upon him that he felt it too, this nameless energy that crackled between them. Rin’s eyes widened and after a moment he smirked back at Haruka, who released his death grip.

 

“Tomorrow then,” Rin murmured before he peeled off from the group, shouting farewells and promises to do it again soon. Haruka felt his breath hitch at the thought of doing it all over again the next day, just him and the swift that had completely snared his attention.

 

*********

 

Haruka snuck out of the flat the next morning, sparing himself a lecture and a bodyguard. As he approached the seashore at Uradome, he regretted his deception. Makoto’s comforting and enormous presence would have eased his nerves at being this near the ocean all by himself. He had avoided the news reports last night, not wanting to hear any more stories of snatched birds, precious feathers, the unsuccessful Black Market raids, the futility of the local police. He wanted to believe the ocean was safe, that what they were doing was a rush of adventure and not an endangerment to their well-being. The kite looked frantically around for Rin in the low light of dawn. 

 

Haruka stood stiffly on the beach, arms and wings held tightly against his body. Motion to his right alerted him to a figure he would already recognize a mile away, calmly and silently gliding over the expanse of sand towards him. The sunlight trying to burst over the horizon softly lit Rin up, his downy feathers glowed like a halo around his head. He was absolutely mesmerizing and he drifted to a stop right next to Haruka. 

 

“Heya Haru,” Rin said quietly, putting his arm around Haruka’s shoulder for the second time in as many days. Haruka liked it, and he decided right then that it could stay there as long as the swift wanted it to. It fit nicely, it felt right, it was comforting and confusing. “Ready to water fly?

 

Not only was Haruka ready, he wanted this. “I am. Think you can beat me this morning?”

 

“Oh! Cheeky today, are we?” Rin grinned at him as he shook his head. “I’ll knock you down a peg or two. You haven’t seen anything yet!”

 

“Bring it Rin, or should I call you the fastest bird on earth?” He quipped, more amused and engaged than he had been in a long time. He felt compelled to banter and spar with Rin, not to mention, he really wanted to win their next race. Haruka had never cared before if he won something or lost something, flying merely a method to move from one point to another, an alternative to walking. 

 

“Tch. Let’s go kite-boy.” Rin took off for the rock while Haruka decided to begin the race early. He accelerated quickly to swoop past Rin, who let out a yelp of surprise and chased Haruka all the way to the starting point. “That was not a race! That was terribly unfair!”

 

“Don’t choke on your indignation, Rin. Are you ready or are you going to splutter all morning?” Haruka really enjoyed the animated faces the swift made, there were so many and he could clearly see every thought that passed through the other’s mind. It was like watching art in motion. 

 

The pair of birds raced each other repeatedly for more than two hours, until they both collapsed on the beach, thoroughly spent and sated. Haruka had lost count but figured there was a fairly even split of results. Despite his new bone-deep appreciation for being victorious, for being victorious _over Rin_ , he wanted to see the smile that illuminated Rin’s face when he won. That was an expression like he had never seen before, and while he did not want to experience defeat, he wanted to keep witnessing that magic. There was no losing when he was with Rin.

 

Chest heaving, the redhead peered over at him. “You’re incredible in the air, do you know that? You make me want to work harder than I’ve ever worked. If we count yesterday’s race, you beat me by one, sixteen to fifteen. If we only count today, it’s dead even.”

 

“We’re a good match, Rin,” Haruka agreed, staring up at the sky he had soared through many times, but rarely paused to gaze at from the ground, too busy seeking out the water. “Can I ask you something?”

 

Rin flopped over onto his side, propped his head up on his hand, and assessed the kite. “That’s a serious face. What’s up?”

 

That was too accepting of an attitude for a question that Haruka knew was invasive. He turned himself over to mirror Rin, and gently shook his wings to get some of the sand out from between his primaries. “You said yesterday you want to finish what your dad started. What does that mean?”

 

“Ah,” Rin reached his free hand up to the back of his neck while he averted his eyes. “My father had a best friend growing up who used to come over to our house all the time when I was little. He had the coolest wings, they were black with white spots all over and these awesome contour feathers all along the back edge of his wings, just like you Haru. Anyway, he was a water bird, so when he met my dad on the shore they had a hard time finding common ground for them to play for long periods of time. My dad’s wings didn’t work very well in the water, well you know if you’ve ever gotten yours wet, and his friend’s were waxy and made for swimming. They made up water flying games so they could play together, and the older they got, it turned into racing.”

 

Rin got a soft smile on his face. “They had this plan to organize these tournaments. They wanted to get young birds involved from the ground up, unite water birds with other birds, show everyone a new sport that could bring everyone together. They were working on drumming up interest, convincing parents to let their kids take lessons, raising funds, finding other grown birds to help teach. And they did all that after they each worked a full day of fishing. I remember when they used to talk about it all the time, usually right after they’d take me and Gou out to practice. My mom would watch from the shore, cheering us on, cheering their dream on.” Rin paused to take a deep breath, as his smile morphed into an entirely different expression, something lonelier and more broken.

 

“When I was seven years old, there was a day my dad and his friend were working like usual. A storm blew in really quickly, which you know happens sometimes on the sea. I guess a huge wave propelled my dad into a rock and he hit his head really hard, enough to knock him out. His friend searched for him so long under the water, with the waves so rough, he never made it back to the surface. There were a few survivors who pieced together the story for my mom. A lot of fishing birds lost their lives that day, my dad and his friend among them.” Rin finally looked up at Haruka, eyes brimming with tears and purpose. “I want to do that for him, for them. I mean, at least I wanna do the starting from the ground up part, teaching young kids how to water fly and fall in love with it. I want everyone to love it like they did, like I do.”

 

There were no words Haruka thought of at that moment to assuage lingering grief, a dream died too young, a loss massive enough to never be completely filled. He placed a hand gingerly on Rin’s shoulder in support. “I want to help you do that.”

 

Rin’s eyes blew wide open. “You do? Really? Haru. That’s...I don’t know what to say. Why would you do that for me?”

 

“I like water flying.” Haruka stiffly patted the strong shoulder that still filled his hand.

 

“You know you’ll still need a job, Haru. This would be out of the goodness of our hearts for awhile, maybe forever.” Rin grinned and bent his arm to rest his hand on top of Haruka’s that still lay on his shoulder. The kite had not wanted to remove his hand before, now he would not mind if his hand became permanently fused to Rin. He closed his eyes, just for a second, feeling something small click into place, knowing he had dipped a toe into his future and the gesture had not drowned him. 

 

“Haru. Hey Haru.” The kite opened his eyes, the hand _still_ on Rin’s shoulder was being gently shaken. “You drifted off, I think we raced too much. Let’s head out, yeah?”

 

Groggy, but aware enough to realize that Rin was about to leave him, Haruka finally removed his hand and attempted to sit up. “Meet me again tomorrow morning.” If Rin was part of his answer to the overwhelming life question he was meant to be addressing, Haruka wanted to chase this, chase Rin, as far as he could.

 

“You wanna spend another morning racing with me?” A look of pleased astonishment passed over the redhead’s face. “I mean, yeah, I can be here!”

 

Without much further fuss or sudden drowsiness, Rin and Haruka got up to brush the sand from their clothes, hair, and wings, and parted ways for the day. They agreed to meet the next day, which turned into the following day, and the day after that. By the time they closed in on one month of early morning racing dates, it was a pattern Haruka anticipated and embraced. 

 

It always began the same way at Uradome Beach around 6:00 in the morning, sunrise filling the sky with the soft pinks and muted lilacs of first light. “Race me, Haru,” Rin commanded. Haruka rolled his eyes and grudgingly acquiesced while he smiled at the swift. They spent the next couple hours egging each other on, soaring from the tallest rock poking out of the shallows, to the peninsula that housed the clump of palm trees, and back again. One of their hands smacked the rock first, and the other would smack it shortly after. They panted for breath, occasionally draped all over each other in recovery, taunting each other and laughing at the attempts. They laid on the beach afterwards, as the sun rose higher in the sky, burning off the pastel colors of dawn and filling their vision with a sparkling azure expanse. They spent their remaining joint time, entire mornings that the kite viewed as far too fleeting, talking about their families, their futures, their worries, their dreams. Haruka physically latched himself onto Rin at some point and fell asleep under the glowing heat of the noon sun, waking under the shaded canopy of one of Rin's wings. Lather, rinse, repeat. 

 

Until the day the routine changed. 

 

It began similarly enough. During one of their last races for the day, Rin struck the rock first and turned to watch Haruka as he sailed towards him. Approaching the rock, the kite lifted his head to see the swift’s victory grin and instead noted two figures with enormous, dark, contoured wings come from behind the rock, one on either side of Rin. 

 

“Rin!” Haruka shouted as he pulled up short from the finish line. “Move!”

 

The redhead tilted his head to the side in confusion as he was grabbed by the arms and yanked viciously against the stone protrusion. He snarled and struck his leg violently out to the side, making contact with one of the vulture's knees, forcing him to let go of Rin, which the swift used to his advantage to wrench his other arm free. Haruka lunged forward to grab his hand, adrenaline pushing past the fatigue in his already overexerted muscles. Rin clutched his hand and together they surged upwards, attempting to flee the water.

 

Haruka felt a hand wrap around his ankle to tug him out of Rin’s grip. He clung with all his strength to Rin’s hand, but he was caught in the middle, one bird trying to pull him back down, the other trying to raise him up. Rin turned around when Haruka stopped moving skyward. 

 

“Haru, hang on!” Rin clung to his hand and returned to his side, chocolate wings beating madly, to wrap his other arm around Haruka’s waist and rip him free from the vulture. Rin let go of his hand to hold the panicked kite firmly in his arms. “Kick your feet Haru! I’ll get you outta here.”

 

Haruka kicked his trapped leg with all the power he could muster and felt the hold on his ankle release. Huffing out a huge sigh of relief, he relaxed knowing Rin still had him securely in his embrace. His guard was down a second too long, as Rin abruptly stopped holding Haruka. One vulture had managed to get Rin in a full body hold and forcefully dragged him away to the shore, while the other vulture hovered right in front of Haruka, preventing him from a chase. 

 

“Haru!” Rin screamed as he tried to fight his way out of the vulture’s chokehold but it was too tight. Haruka watched him get taken further away until he lost sight of him completely, and a stab of dread plunged into his stomach. He stared at the second vulture, unsure what to do, frozen with indecision and fear. The vulture watched him, smug expression all over his face while he sneered at the kite who remained paralyzed in shock. After a few minutes that could have been hours, the vulture turned away to follow after his partner and their victim. Haruka watched him go.

 

*********

 

“Haru! Are you home?” Makoto’s voice rang out through the flat, and Haruka heard him as he closed the door behind himself, hung up his keys, and stepped on the creaky floorboard two paces past of the entryway. He sunk down in the bath, drowning his useless wings, simmering in his own anger. Perhaps it was misplaced, but the rage was directed mostly at himself. He could have _done something_ , they did not want him, all his feathers were unremarkable. He had nothing to offer the vultures but everything to offer Rin, a second set of eyes, arms, legs, wings. He should have protected Rin, like the swift had turned back to protect Haruka. Rin said he was fast enough to get away from vultures, and he would have been if Haruka had not gotten distracted and hindered his escape.

 

A knock on the door announced the stork’s incoming presence to the bathroom. Haruka sunk down even lower without adjusting his wings, crushing them against the bottom of the tub. He felt them underneath him and savored the brief discomfort; he deserved a few destroyed contour feathers after his indecision and inaction and _failure_.

 

“Haru, what’s wrong? Why are you hiding under the water?” Haruka could not see Makoto’s face but knew his features were contorted into an expression of utmost concern. He did not need to see that right now; Rin needed that face, not him. A hand tenderly touched his shoulder. Haruka cursed his need for oxygen and broke the surface to glare at his best friend, who did not deserve to be on the receiving end of his ire.

 

“Vultures took Rin.” The words barely made it out of Haruka’s throat, he longed to choke them back down, to not acknowledge he had been right there when it happened, futile and inadequate. That he had done _nothing_ , and now Rin was gone.

 

Makoto’s mouth pulled down into a frown, wearing a pinched expression that rarely graced his features. “Haru, was he back by the water?”

 

“ _We_ were back by the water. We were racing and have been for awhile now, every morning. There hasn’t been any trouble before.”

 

“Have you been to the police?” Trust Makoto to come up with a reasonable solution in under two minutes where Haruka had only thought to submerge his feelings in the bathtub. He shook his head. His best friend held out his hand to assist Haruka out of the water and handed him a towel. “Let’s go then.”

 

Haruka slowly dried off, Makoto helping him blot his wings, before they were about to set off to the local police station to file a birdnapping. The stork perched on the windowsill and turned back towards the kite expectantly. “Haru?”

 

“I’m not flying there,” he muttered in response. 

 

Makoto’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “What? Why?”

 

Haruka shook his head, unable to explain his instincts. 

 

His best friend rushed back over to his side. “Haru, are you okay? You said they took Rin but are you hurt anywhere? Did you injure your wings?”

 

“Rin isn’t flying.” Haruka’s own throat strangled him, he could not get any more words out. He needed Makoto to understand without any further explanation, without more discussion.

 

The compassionate bird took Haruka’s hand. “Let’s walk then if that’s what you need.” His friend gently tugged and he reluctantly moved his feet.

 

They moved on the ground, rapidly weaving their way through the streets, completely silent and focused on their destination. As the approached the local precinct, the blond hummingbird, with another bird in tow, almost collided into them from the air. They avoided Makoto and Haruka by landing in a tangle of limbs on the concrete.

 

“Haru! Mako! Rei just told me about what happened with Rin!” Nagisa frantically babbled as he and his sidekick scrambled to their feet, small wingspan flapping uncontrollably, mirroring his obvious distress.

 

Haruka grabbed Nagisa’s arm and huffed in annoyance. “Who’s Rei? And how does he know what happened?” Haruka had not seen anyone else near them, he had not even noticed the vultures lurking, much less anyone else close by. “How does he know Rin?” The four birds were clustered together on their feet, tension pulsing through their small assembly. 

 

“I’m Rei,” the unknown bird introduced himself. “I am Nagisa’s roommate for this forced season of life contemplation and career exploration.” Haruka made note of this unknown bird’s charcoal and black striped wings and violet bristle feathers arcing above his eyes, framing them like eyebrows. Deep purple eyes were pinned on him. “I do not know Rin personally but I have watched the two of you racing for the past few weeks. It is quite beautiful to witness. I have never seen any flying quite like it.” 

 

“Why didn’t you come help?” The accusatory question flew out of Haruka’s mouth before he could stop it. His underlying frustration surged through him, growing in size, and Rei about to be on the receiving end of it. Makoto placed a hand on Haruka’s forearm, which he wanted to shrug off. Being comforted was of no use to him, and of no use to Rin.

 

Rei looked flustered. “It all happened very quickly and I was all the way on the shore. But more critically, I do not think I could have helped without endangering myself in the process. I also have valuable feathers worth sizable sums on the Black Market myself.” He gestured primly toward his eyebrow bristles. “Stepping in would have only enticed those vultures further, and I believe Rin and I would both have been captured in that case. I am more useful out here than I would be to Rin in captivity.”

 

Haruka’s head was swimming with all the words, he clenched his hands into fists to control his shaking. “But someone would be with him, that’s more important.” 

 

“Ah. I can appreciate that you think so, your concern for Rin is completely warranted. However, I saw the two vultures that performed the birdnapping. I think that information can be of some help,” Rei bravely continued on, even faced with the hostility radiating off of the kite. 

 

“That’s super useful information Rei! The police can use that to find them!” Nagisa’s optimism dispelled some of the mounting anxiety that lay between the four birds. “That’s where we’re headed right now, to talk to the police.”

 

Makoto nodded, calming hand still on Haruka’s arm, the other had found a way onto Rei’s arm at some point. “We’re going there too. Let’s keep moving, we don’t want to waste anymore time that the police could be doing something. Vultures aren’t a secret, they’ll know how to get Rin back.”

 

Everyone seemed so confident, so unshaken by Rin being snatched. Despite the unease resting in his gut, Haruka allowed himself to let the other three buoy his confidence in the situation. The authorities would know what to do, especially with an eyewitness to the crime. It had not occurred to Haruka, or any of his companions, that the police would practically laugh them out of the precinct. 

 

“He’s an adult bird, it hasn’t been 48 hours, hell, it sounds like it hasn’t even been 6 hours.”

“We can’t file a missing persons report this soon, we’re understaffed.”

“No vultures by that description pop up in the system, either with the Samezuka Clan or as rogue criminals.”

“We can’t chase down every unsubstantiated lead that comes our way, we don’t have enough of a police presence down by the water.”

“This is a waste of time right now, there’s nothing we can do for you right now.”

“We’re sorry, there’s absolutely nothing we can do.”

 

Haruka slumped against the low brick wall outside the station, sitting down hard on the sidewalk as his legs buckled. He rested his head on his knees, conversation swirling around him. 

 

“Rei and I are going to find Gou! We know she’s in Iwatobi somewhere for the season, we’ll knock on every door until we find her. Didn’t Rin say she has the same hair as he does? So we should recognize her right away. She should know about Rin being taken and the police will have to listen to family!” Nagisa explained their next step with unbridled enthusiasm despite the huge procedural setback they had experienced. 

 

“Nagisa, I doubt they will do anything even for family before 48 hours, but it might take us that long simply to locate her. It would be best if we began now if we have hopes of finding Rin unscathed.” _Unscathed_. Haruka’s arms raised to cover his head. He closed his eyes, wanting to be immersed in laughter and water, blinded by shades of red at his side, instead of drowning in speculation. 

 

Makoto spoke up. “Rin mentioned they live over on the border, by Sano. So if you start canvassing over there, you should find her pretty quickly.”

 

Nagisa sounded frustrated. “Mako, come with us! We could use you and Haru!” There was a long pause, which dragged on long enough the kite considered breaking his reverie. Instead he heard his best friend sigh.

 

“I think Haru needs to head home.” He heard the unspoken _and that means I should be with him making sure he’s alright_ that Makoto implied like Haruka was a delicate basketcase incapable to caring for himself. He frowned at the ground. A hand fell tentatively on his shoulder and a newly familiar voice spoke by his ear. 

 

“We will do everything we can until the police can start looking for Rin. Nagisa and I will find Gou. You should go home and rest.” Haruka inclined his head to acknowledge Rei’s support. 

 

“Why do you want to help so much?” It was a blunt question that likely bordered on rude, but Haruka asked it anyway.

 

Rei narrowed his eyes, antipathy marring his features. “No one should be victimized because they look a certain way. Something intrinsic to the essence of a bird should not have to be hidden in order for someone to feel safe.”

 

*********

 

Haruka lay curled up in his bed, completely covered by his childhood blanket, vacillating between states of consciousness. He had not really slept since Rin’s birdnapping two mornings ago. He felt himself drifting back down when the front door slammed open, heavy footfalls sounding through the flat, followed by his best friend’s more predictable and quieter strides, which roused him fully. He cocked an ear to the unusual pattern. The footsteps came right to his door, and Haruka heard voices murmuring just quietly enough he could not discern what they said.

 

“Haru? Are you awake?” Makoto rapped softly at his door. “Please, there’s been a development and I’d like to talk with you about it.”

 

Haruka forced himself out of his cocoon and slid his feet into his slippers before he stood up. His head flew to the side in alarm as his bedroom door banged open, slamming into the wall. A huge winged man he did not recognize stormed towards him, backing him up against his closet. He unfurled his wings in time but his tail feathers got uncomfortably smashed against the wood. He could barely make out Makoto in the background, hands waving, suggesting something the kite could not hear over the blood rushing in his ears. 

 

This new bird spread his wings in a clear show of aggression, since there was no possible way he could take flight in the confines of this tiny bedroom. Haruka’s vision was filled with a glowering face and a vast expanse of black feathers bearing a thick gray strip running along the underside of each one. Incensed teal eyes bore into his, heat and rage pouring off the massive body that loomed above him.

 

“ _Your_ Rin’s new hobby, where have you been for the last two days?” His deep voice was a quiet rumble, venom laced throughout his tone as he stared Haruka down. The kite felt a surge of rebellious anger and pushed a trembling hand against the hulking bird in front of him. 

 

“If you’ve got a brilliant plan then let’s hear it,” Haruka matched the low menacing tone, but lacked the intimidating size that went with it. He ducked past the bird’s arm, brushing dismissively past stiff flight feathers to address the stork hovering out of the way. “Who is this?”

 

Makoto sheepishly responded with a shrug of a shoulder. “Nanase Haruka, this is Yamazaki Sousuke. Sousuke is Rin’s best friend, you know, the bird who’s living with his sister for the season? Who, by the way, is also here with Nagisa and Rei.”

 

“Everyone’s here in our flat?” Haruka glanced longingly over his shoulder at his bed.

 

“We thought we’d come to you since you’ve been holed up in here since we went to the police.” Makoto gestured at Sousuke, who bristled at the mention of law enforcement. “Sousuke wants to come back with us the second time we go talk to them.”

 

Haruka glowered over at Sousuke. “No. Look at him, he’ll get us all arrested.” 

 

Sousuke scoffed. “I need to know they’re gonna do something. You hide in a bed, I try to get shit done.”

 

“Alright, we don’t need in-fighting,” Makoto pleaded and fluttered his hands. “Let’s go round everyone up so we can head down to the station.”

 

Haruka debated changing clothes, seeing as he had not managed to do so since he got out of the bath two days earlier. He shrugged, deciding not to waste anymore time, and headed out into the living room where his eyes immediately took in the fuzzy crimson hair he had been obsessing over and longing to see again. The air rushed out of his body, he grabbed the wall for support. It was not him, the kite knew who it had to be. Russet eyes met his with comprehension and understanding and reflected a worry that Haruka knew was present in his own. 

 

Before he could regain his composure, that downy red head was directly in front of him and a soft, warm hand covered his that still braced itself against the wall. “You must be Haru. I’m Gou. We’ll get him back.” Haruka knew he should be ashamed of himself, forcing Rin’s sister to feel compelled to comfort him, when she had every right to be a ball of tears and despair huddled on the floor. As he searched her face and saw the same fiery determination that lit Rin up from within, it was abundantly clear that was not her style. He needed to channel the Matsuoka passion in order to stop wallowing in regret and recover his poise.

 

His head dipped in a firm nod before rising back up to make eye contact with Gou. “I’ll do everything I can.”

 

“About time,” Sousuke chided from the corner, staring at Haruka in a way that probably should disconcert him but failed to do so. The albatross was clearly deeply agitated by his best friend’s disappearance, the way Haruka knew he would be if any harm befell Makoto. The kite had firsthand experience of how Rin was capable of sparking emotion in people, urging them into action, encouraging them to try things they had never thought themselves brave enough to do. He could only imagine how much had been stirred up for Sousuke over the years of being the swift’s closest comrade. 

 

Haruka noticed another new person hovering on the far side of the living room, not too far from Sousuke. He had gray hair and blue eyes about the same color as his own. His short light gray wings twitched nervously behind him while he wrung his hands. The kite approached him slowly to introduce himself, this bird looked so young and jittery. 

 

“I’m Haru, this is my flat,” he murmured, not entirely sure he was the most competent person to be calming anyone down at the moment.

 

“I’m Ai, my roommate is the one that got birdnapped. We’ll figure out a way to get through this.” His eyes looked fiercer than Haruka expected, glimmering with focused determination. 

 

Nagisa sprang off the couch and cheered. “Let’s go rattle some cages now that it’s been 48 hours! We’ll demand action.”

 

“Nagisa, perhaps it would be best if we all maintained a calm demeanor and reasonable expectations,” Rei attempted to convince his roommate to be realistic, but Nagisa’s fizzing, hopeful energy seeped into everyone after two days of nothing. Finally feeling like something was going to be accomplished and feeding off everyone else’s optimism, Haruka allowed his spirits to rise off the floor. 

 

*********

 

Even through the mounting emotions that threatened to overtake Haruka, he could sense Sousuke was about to lose it. Ai, Nagisa, and Gou physically restrained him, while he seethed and managed to bite back the furious venom on the tip of his tongue. Rei and Makoto talked with the police officers, pleading their case.

 

“It’s _been_ 48 hours, I don’t understand how there’s still nothing you can do?” Makoto begged for an answer that made sense. Haruka knew he was not going to get one, as nothing they had been told since they arrived had been clear.

 

“Sir, as I’ve already mentioned, we’re understaffed and don’t have enough of a presence on the water to effectively combat the vultures. We are rapidly working to improve that but until you give us more information, there’s not much for us to go on,” the taller of the two officers maintained a bland expression and the same party line. 

 

Rei pounced, with the sharp skill emblematic of a bird of prey. “If we were to come to you with more specific information regarding the victim’s location, would that be something you could act on?”

 

The second police officer, short and too flabby for effective police work in Haruka’s opinion, stopped just short of rolling her eyes. “Sure, we’d get right on it.”

 

Sousuke growled and Makoto rushed over to help hustle him out of the station, remembering his impeccable manners despite his obvious disappointment. “Thank you for your time, officers.”

 

Rei took a hold of Haruka’s elbow. “We need to talk outside. All hope is not lost.” The kite allowed himself to be led out the door and over to the waiting group of birds, where he was deposited next to the irate albatross. His bare arm rubbed against Sousuke’s and a spark ignited within him, helping to burn away the despondency. 

 

“Yamazaki,” Haruka turned to face him, an urge to convey his feelings overriding any lingering doubts. “We need to find him ourselves.”

 

“Now you’re finally talking like a bird I can respect, Nanase.” The corner of Sousuke’s mouth pulled up into a slight smirk. “What do you have in mind?” 

 

Gou held up her hand for temporary silence. “If I may? Nagisa, Rei, Ai, and I have already started looking for him, but more eyes will be better. We’ve been going down to Uradome Beach to look for the vultures that took my brother.”

 

“Yeah, Rei told us what they look like. He said they’re young like us! Can you believe it?” Nagisa bounced around, ready to spring into action as soon as the remaining birds got on board. “Tell ‘em, Rei! So these guys know what they look like!”

 

The sparrowhawk primly adjusted his bristle feathers and cleared his throat. “Well, Nagisa is correct, they appear to be roughly the same age we are. I wonder if vultures have a similar season to the one the rest of us birds do as recent graduates. Perhaps they are undergoing the same trial period we are, and need to act in ways that prove themselves to older vultures.”

 

Haruka did not want to think of the two scavengers that had taken Rin as anything like how he thought of himself and his friends. He could not personalize them, that would snuff out the righteous anger that grew within him. 

 

“The down that Rin and Gou possess in their hair is exceptionally rare. I still want to research how valuable those feathers are, unearth what the going rate is for them on the Black Market,” Rei continued, as everyone else listened with rapt attention. “Gou explained that when she has accidentally pulled out a down feather here and there, it has taken approximately three weeks for a replacement to grow in its place.”

 

Ai interrupted the flow to voice his concerns. “But would they know that? Wouldn’t they just take his down feathers and let him go?”

 

“Unfortunately, I am quite positive that they have ways of forcing that information out of Rin.” Rei solemnly delivered that last blow in response to the gentle dove’s question. Haruka blanched at the thought of what had already happened to the redheaded swift while he was curled up in his childhood blanket on a comfortable mattress with his best friend only one wall away. Sousuke let out a pained noise next to him, lifting his fist to his mouth in an attempt to stifle it.

 

Nagisa had an arm around the swallow, whose pretty cocoa wings drooped in defeat while her eyes filled with tears. He soothingly rubbed her arm. “We’ll find him, GouGou. And when we figure out where he is, we’ll come back here. The police said they’d help if we have more information.”

 

“Yes Nagisa, I am sure they will assemble a rescue team at that point, as well,” Rei seconded the hummingbird’s positive thoughts. 

 

Having finally gathered himself again, Sousuke voiced the thought Haruka also wondered, as he gestured towards the two of them and Makoto. “So what do you need us to do?”

 

“We need more eyes on the beach!” Nagisa declared, pointing directly at the kite. “Haru, you saw them too, so we can have two groups of us keeping watch to see if they come back to try and take another bird.”

 

Rei nodded. “Exactly. If the three of you are in a different spot, we will double our chances of successfully noting when they return. I am positive they will come back and attempt another birdnapping.”

 

Makoto frowned and looked at Rei and Gou. “Should the two of you really be going down there? You both have feathers that they want. It seems risky.” Something cold and sharp pierced through Haruka’s thoughts at the idea that this search for Rin could cause more damage to this cohort, to his _friends_. It was upsetting enough that Rin had been birdnapped and nobody in a position of authority saw the urgency of the situation, but it was thoroughly alarming to consider that more danger potentially awaited them. 

 

“Let’s split them up,” Sousuke added. “That way even if one group of us is spotted, both of you aren’t in trouble. No offense Ryuugazaki, but I’ll keep Gou with me. I promised Rin a long time ago I’d keep his sister safe. I don’t intend on breaking my word now.”

 

Livid passion ran hot through Haruka, fueled by his resentment with this entire situation. The police were supposed to be cooperative and reliable, and nobody's well-being should hang in the balance of a flock of disorganized adolescents. This search-and-rescue should not rest on their shoulders, vultures should have just left Rin _alone_. “I’ll go with you. I want to be with you when we team up.” He addressed the albatross, his tone brooking no argument, then turned to his best friend. “You take care of Rei, Ai, and Nagisa.”

 

Makoto squawked but nodded his agreement. “So we have a plan?”

 

Nagisa flew up in the air with a fist-pump. “Hell yeah! Operation Save RinRin starts right now.”

 

*********

 

Rin warily forced his tired eyes open to see what his captors were doing. The two young vultures paced before him, boots scraping the ground in a hypnotic rhythm. They were peers, or possibly even younger. This was the first time they had discussed anything having to do with him in his presence. Despite his throbbing headache and tender scalp from being painfully and viciously stripped of all the down feathers on his head a few days ago, he listened attentively for any useful information, something he could utilize in planning an escape. 

 

“We need more down than this before we present to the whole gang, Takuya.”

 

“He doesn’t have any more yet, we have to wait until his regrow or find someone else who has feathers like this. Damn it, Kazuki, what do you want me to do? We’ve failed already, this is our last chance to join the Samezuka Crew. Three strikes and we’re out. We can’t make it as rogues! We need this haul to be big.”

 

“How long is it gonna take for his feathers to grow back?”

 

“How the hell should I know, Kazuki! They’re not my feathers.” 

 

Rin listened, stomach heavy with dread when he thought of the one person who could also provide valuable feathers that were just like his. For what felt like the millionth time in what could not have been more than a few days, he tried to move his bound arms and feet but there was almost no leeway. He furiously flexed his pectoral muscles to move his wings without making too much of a commotion, knowing he needed to find a way to get the hell out of this warehouse before his down grew back and, more importantly, before they got a hint that he had a sister. The towels hung heavy on him, one wrapped tightly around the tertiaries close to his back, forcing his wings to remain folded closely against his body. Another pulled taut along the entirety of his closed wingspan and wrapped like a bandage around his torso. 

 

The vulture who had been addressed as Takuya came over and crouched down by Rin’s head. He reached down and violently grabbed a fistful of Rin’s patchy hair, sending pain shooting through his skull. He forced the swift to look at him. “How long you gonna keep us waiting for more down feathers? They ever gonna grow back?”

 

Rin desperately wanted to be petulant and difficult, but thoughts of Gou forced him to be smart and play nicely. “When one falls out, it takes a couple weeks for a new one to erupt, then about another week until it’s fully grown in, I think.” He swallowed the last piece of information he had been about to provide. If they damaged any of the follicles in their aggressive plucking, those feathers would not be returning. The more cycles he remained here in captivity, the higher the odds that there would be follicle deterioration. The less down he could provide, the less valuable a commodity he became. He wondered if giving the pair of vultures a schedule for regrowth had sealed a fate he was better off not pondering. 

 

When the vulture finally loosened the grip on Rin's hair and walked away, the pair of scavengers abandoning their hostage to his endless hours of solitude, he choked down his mounting panic and frustration to resume the tedious struggle against his restraints. He squirmed and rubbed until the chafing on his wrists and ankles got too painful, and his chest and back muscles ached from the fruitless attempts to work his wings free from the thorough toweling. He gingerly leaned his sore head back against the wall in temporary defeat and exhaustion. The swift closed his eyes, longing for the sleep that had eluded him since his capture. Sparkling cobalt eyes and caramel and cream feathers filled his mind until he succumbed to unconsciousness. 

 

*********

 

Over a month later, even Nagisa admitted to losing a little faith after gathering at Makoto and Haruka’s flat after yet another day of unproductive reconnaissance. “Why aren’t they coming back? And if they aren’t coming back, they must have what they need, right? So why aren’t they letting Rin go?”

 

Gou sat with Haruka and Sousuke, head rested against the kite’s shoulder, disappointment and sorrow palpable between the three of them. Her breathing slowed and evened out when she restlessly passed out. Makoto comforted Ai across the room, while Rei mumbled under his breath, deep in thought at the table. Haruka leaned his head down to rest his cheek on top of Gou’s hair while she napped, and he felt his eyes tighten. His breath hitched in his throat; he willed his thoughts to a better place, but he could not shake his mind into positivity with evocative fuzzy down cushioning his face. He felt a steady hand on his back and he raised his head.

 

“Don’t do that. Don’t give up, Nanase. We’ll keep going down to the ocean until the vultures come back, and then they’ll lead us to Rin. That’s the plan and we’ve got to stick with it.” Sousuke’s passionate eyes bored into Haruka’s, willing him to maintain a thread of trust in the face of crushing failure. He wanted to climb onto the strong shoulders of the albatross and burrow in, so Sousuke could feed him emotional strength and absorb all the feelings that overwhelmed Haruka. Instead, he nodded sharply at the bird once in a silent promise to not yet surrender.

 

Makoto, massive black and white wing still curled protectively around the small Ai, glanced around the room until his eyes fell on the bird he was looking for. “Hey Rei?” He waited until the sparrowhawk abandoned his muttering and looked up. “We’ve gone down to Uradome at a variety of times, but we’ve never gone in the middle of the night. Maybe we should start sleeping in shifts, so we can split up and cover more time.” 

 

Rei hummed in agreement. “That _is_ a good point, vultures do tend to engage in more nefarious activity overnight. But who-”

 

“Yamaza-Sousuke and I will go,” Haruka volunteered the taciturn bird on the couch next to him before seeking permission, knowing in his gut that Sousuke would do anything to get Rin back, even it meant forfeiting endless nights of sleep. He knew because that was exactly how he felt at the moment; there was no activity more important than this. 

 

Without missing a beat, Sousuke consented. “Haru and I’ll take this shift until we spot them.” He flicked his eyes over to the clock on the wall and turned to Haruka. “I’m so ready to find out who these fuckers are, I couldn’t wait if I wanted to. You good to go?”

 

Haruka fed off the energy and determination radiating from Sousuke. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

 

After grabbing a few protein bars and apples for the trip back to the seaside, both birds experiencing a small return of their appetites due to the tiny flame of hope that Makoto's revelation had reignited, Haruka laid a hand on Sousuke’s arm. “I want to fly over there today.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Sousuke prodded the kite’s wings with one of his thick fingers. “These things still function for you after a month? I’m surprised they haven’t molted from being underused.”

 

“Rin isn’t flying right now,” Haruka blurted out by rote what he had been informing the entire group for weeks now. 

 

Sousuke scoffed. “How has that changed since this afternoon?”

 

Haruka beat his wings a few times, exercising muscles he had indeed not utilized for far too long. He put his hand on the other’s sturdy shoulder. “Because tonight you and I have a job to do. And Rin won’t fly again until we find him. So let’s find him.”

 

Sousuke snorted out a small chuckle. “Hell yes, Haru.” He held out his fist for a bump, which Haruka provided, and they took off together into the air to soar towards the ocean. 

 

*********

 

It was only the fourth night of their nocturnal patrol when Haruka spotted them. The pair of vultures hovered near the same rocky outcrop from which they had attacked Rin. They were still fairly far away but he _knew_ it was them. If nothing else, the hair that stood up on the back of his neck was all the proof he needed.

 

“Sousuke.” He nudged the big bird with his elbow and motioned to them with his chin. 

 

The albatross narrowed his eyes and nodded. “Got it. We won’t do anything unless they try to birdnap someone else. Otherwise we’ll lay low until we can follow them,” he murmured under his breath. 

 

Haruka’s heart pounded, he was sure the vultures would hear it as it thundered through his veins despite being yards away. He clenched his fists to stop them from trembling in anticipation. These two could lead he and Sousuke directly to Rin. They might be able to save him _tonight_. He huddled close to his companion, relieved to feel him also tensed with expectancy, poised for action at a moment’s notice.

 

“Haru, open your wings quietly and calmly, don’t draw any attention to us. I’ll do the same.” Sousuke spoke while deploying his powerful wings.

 

Haruka nodded, understanding the need for a quick launch as soon as the vultures began their trip back to whatever vile location in which they harbored stolen birds. The volume of his frantic breathing gave the roaring of his blood a run for its money. Sweat dripped down his temples, dampening his hair, and trickled between his shoulder blades, collecting in his scapulars. He peeked at Sousuke, who was singularly focused on aiming his heated glare into the vultures’ skulls. Haruka nervously ran his tongue across his bottom lip before mercilessly worrying it with his teeth.

 

“Haru, it’s time,” Sousuke whispered as he raised himself off the sand and lifted delicately into the air, executing his movements with a grace that belied his strength.

 

Haruka followed, heart in his throat, trying to remain calm and focused on not being spotted. They trailed after the vultures from a distance, keeping pace, gliding as much as possible to avoid the noise of their beating wings. They were led to an apartment building not dissimilar to the one he and Makoto resided in, still within Iwatobi, which was almost exclusively temporary housing for the self-exploration season of recent high school graduates.

 

They held back to see where the final destination was within the building, but had to follow too close for comfort when the vultures disappeared around the back, off the alley. Haruka and Sousuke watched as they headed to the southernmost metal garage door that was tucked underneath the building, entered a code into a panel next to the door, and waited for the door to roll up. Haruka could not tell if it was him or Sousuke that gasped out loud when they got a glimpse inside the garage before the door began to roll shut.

 

“Sousuke,” Haruka panted out as he lunged forward, willing the garage door to stop its descent. He could make it in there in time.

 

He progress was violently halted, his arm tugged backwards by the albatross. “Haru, I saw him too, but we can’t go barging in unprepared. We’ll never get him out. Let’s think about this so we make sure we can get him. We need to go back and talk to the others.”

 

Haruka curled up his fist in frustration, sorely tempted to take out his impatient fury on Sousuke. It was irrational, he knew the other bird wanted Rin back as badly as he did. He growled at his companion, who looked at him with an understanding pity. When Sousuke placed his hands on his shoulders all the fight went out of him. 

 

“Come on Haru, let’s go back. We’ll figure something out. Don’t get discouraged now. We found him.” The albatross jerked his head to the side. Crestfallen, Haruka nodded and they flew back across town.

 

When they arrived back at his shared flat, Gou and Makoto were awake waiting for them. The stork took one look at Haruka’s face and knew something had shifted. “What happened?” He whispered, as if afraid of the answer. 

 

Haruka cleared his throat to dislodge the lump that made it hard to speak. “We saw Rin. We know where he is.”

 

There was a moment of complete silence, broken only when Gou burst into tears and flung herself at Makoto. 

 

“We need to figure out how to get him out of an underground parking garage with an access panel.” Sousuke sounded as weary as Haruka felt. The kite reached over to provide comfort this time and laid his hand gently on the other’s forearm.

 

“You and I should sleep. No one needs to go to back to Uradome now that we know where the garage is.” Overwhelmed with emotional fatigue, Haruka yawned as if to unintentionally prove his point.

 

“Haru’s right, Sousuke,” Gou sniffled and unburied her face from Makoto’s chest. “You two have been pushing yourselves without much rest. We’ll make sure everyone stays here until you both get up, then you can tell us about what happened, about how he looked. We’ll figure out what to do. We _will_. Makoto and I slept on his bed so it’s available for both of you, if you want.”

 

Haruka was too tired to even raise an eyebrow at that development, barely able to keep exhaustion from knocking him out right where he stood. He and Sousuke stumbled to Makoto’s bedroom and all but collapsed on top of the covers.

 

When Haruka awoke, the sun streamed through the window, highlighting that the bed was empty next to him. He heard the low murmuring of voices and half-hoped Sousuke already updated everyone on what they discovered the previous night. He was blissfully unaware of their excursion while unconscious, but it all rushed back now that he was alert. He considered rolling back over but he wanted to get Rin back more than he wanted to hide in his bedroom. He got up and walked out to join the conversation. 

 

Nagisa’s voice hit his ears first. “We got what we needed, let’s just go back to the police. They’ll get Rin out!”

 

“No,” Sousuke rumbled, already agitated. Haruka hoped the albatross had gotten some rest before diving into strategizing. 

 

“The police officers we spoke to _did_ say they would finally intervene when we returned with useful information,” Rei declared confidently, fingers brushing back his bristle feathers. “Rin’s exact location and visual confirmation of the vultures certainly ranks in that category.”

 

Sousuke stood up in frustration. “No.”

 

“I have to agree with Sousuke on this. I don’t think I trust the police to do anything at this point.” Makoto looked apologetically at the birds who were determined to rely on the authorities. “But this feels like a decision we should leave up to Gou.”

 

Everyone turned towards the redheaded swallow, who narrowed her eyes and balled her fists as she gathered steam. “I’m furious with the police. I don’t think they’ll do anything if we go back. I think they just wanted us to leave. They don’t care about getting my brother back.” 

 

“But we’re not heroes!” Ai squeaked out, apprehension laced through every word. “Who’s gonna be the one to actually go into the garage and get Rin out?”

 

“More importantly, Aiichiro, how are we going to open the garage in the first place?” Rei concurred with the nervous dove. “You said it was a panel with a code?”

 

Haruka turned towards Sousuke, whose stubborn eyes were already trained on him. “Yes, it was a panel.”

 

Rei hummed with dissatisfaction while Nagisa leapt off the stool he was perched on. “Wait! Who cares about a dumb code? Why don’t we just stake out the garage from now on and wait for them to leave.”

 

“Isn’t that what we were already planning to do?” Makoto asked in confusion.

 

The hummingbird nodded vehemently. “Well yeah, but how about if we wait until they close the door and then just make sure it doesn’t close all the way? I mean, who hovers around watching a garage door close? I bet they fly off right away. Let’s start easy until it has to be hard.”

 

The kite found himself in total agreement. This whole ordeal had proven exceedingly difficult enough from their end, though he refused to dwell on how much worse off Rin likely was during the same seemingly interminable time frame. There was no need to complicate things unless necessary. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

 

“Haru and I will go tonight.” Sousuke peered at Haruka, who silently gave assent. 

 

“Wait, I’ll go too!” Gou rose to her feet in alarm. “Don’t think about rescuing my brother without me!” 

 

“I’ll go, so there’s three of us and only two of them,” Makoto stated. “But Gou you should stay here, Rei too. It’s too risky for either of you to be spotted.” 

 

Gou gazed around at faces that surrounded her, each one set in grim determination to protect her and Rei at all costs by this point. She sighed in dismay and her shoulders sagged in defeat, while she threw herself back down onto the couch. “Fine. But you better bring him back! I’m trusting you.”

 

*********

 

With only the moon and one amber streetlight providing scant illumination, the three birds hovered silently near the appropriate garage, waiting for the moment of evacuation. Haruka guessed they had been out here in the dark for a few hours already. Expectant. He wondered if the physical benefits of adrenaline ever wore off because it steadily flowed through him and showed no signs of release. 

 

Makoto nudged his shoulder and quietly voiced a request. “Can we go over the plan one more time?”

 

“You watch the vultures so we know the moment their attention isn’t on the garage. Then I’m going over to the door as fast as possible to try and get something under the door before it closes. If I can wedge it open, you’ll come help me hold it and force it back up. Then Haru’s gonna go get his swift.” Sousuke grimaced at them both. “It all hinges on the scavengers leaving before the garage closes.”

 

Haruka shook his head fiercely. “No it doesn’t.”

 

Sousuke and Makoto reeled back. The stork looked confused. “What do you mean? If they wait around we can’t get in.”

 

“This all hinges on getting to the door. I don’t care about the vultures, they’re outnumbered. We need to get in to where Rin is. That’s the most important thing, the only thing.” His eyes demanded that his compatriots understand; he was not leaving this garage another night without Rin in tow.

 

The albatross quickly understood the amended scheme and mirrored Haruka’s urgency. “You want us to just overpower them with brute force?” He gave Makoto a once-over and held out a fist. “I think you and I can take ‘em.”

 

Makoto bumped the proffered fist. “If we’re potentially holding off vultures, we can’t be holding a door open. We need something to stop the door from closing, so Haru can get inside.”

 

“I’ll go find something,” Haruka offered immediately, finally having a chance to move his wings and work off some of his nervous energy. He slipped away from the others and dropped silently to the ground. Focused eyes flitted around the parking lot, scouring for anything useful. He crept towards the brushy grass at the edge, his attention focused on the pavement. He spotted a broken brick by a shrub, and was about to grab it, when he heard the noisy scraping of the garage door. Heart in his throat, he snatched the brick and flattened himself along the grass, wings rapidly folded in flat against his back. He hoped Sousuke and Makoto would move without him, having faith he would be able to perform his job.

 

Haruka craned his head to where he knew his friends lay in wait but could not make them out. Motion by the garage in his peripheral vision snared his attention, and he whipped his head back around to Rin’s makeshift jail cell. He finally spotted Makoto and Sousuke as they lurked around the side of the garage, waiting to see how they would need to intervene. The grinding of the door finally ceased and the two birdnappers emerged, mumbling in hushed voices. One of them punched the code into the wall panel and they slowly turned to leave. Haruka felt they were taking their time, it was all taking too long, why were they just standing there? 

 

Sousuke must have shared that same thought because he lurched out of the shadows, Makoto hot on his heels. The kite’s role flashed back into his mind as he raced over to the garage, intending to shove the brick in the door’s path. He rocketed past the albatross just as he body slammed one of the vultures into the asphalt. As he approached the rapidly descending door, he careened to a stop and turned back once to witness his best friend gripping a wing tightly in his fist as he kicked the feet out from under the second vulture. At the last moment, Haruka changed his mind, dropped the brick in the parking lot, and rolled under the door right before it banged shut behind him. 

 

Darkness and silence engulfed Haruka as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light. Ears perked for any noise beyond the sound of his own shuffling footsteps, he found a wall to pat down in his search for a light switch. Laboriously, he moved along the walls, knowing he should not be taking this much time while Makoto and Sousuke attempted to keep two struggling vultures in their heroic clutches. Despite the massive size and strength of both of his friends, he needed to hustle. He gasped as his hand felt a light switch, which he flicked on with trembling fingers. Holding his breath, heartbeat pounding, the kite spun around. 

 

Rin. Even half-bald, blindfolded, limbs bound, and wings toweled, Haruka would recognize the swift anywhere. His head lolled against the wall, while his chest rose shallowly and rhythmically as if he slept despite all the recent commotion. Haruka walked towards him and crouched down, placing a hand delicately on his shoulder. He was not expecting the violent spasm that shuddered through Rin as he recoiled.

 

“Rin,” Haruka whispered, reaching forward to remove the blindfold. Dull scarlet eyes stared uneasily back at him until Rin comprehended who he saw, then they widened in disbelief and filled with tears.

 

“Haru,” Rin croaked out. “You came.”

 

“We’ve been looking for you this whole time. I’m so sorry it took this long, I wanted to get to you right away,” the kite babbled uncharacteristically, overcome with relief yet anguished at Rin’s state. “I’m going to touch you now so I can take off the towels and bindings, is that okay?”

 

Rin nodded quickly, then winced in pain. “Please Haru.”

 

Haruka slowly unwrapped the heavy towels holding Rin’s wings down. As he uncovered the innermost layer, the towel came away littered with dark brown feathers that had fallen off over the weeks. “Can you open them?”

 

Rin’s wings unfurled about halfway, the swift clearly straining to fully spread them. “I’m tired.”

 

“It’s fine, Rin. Let me help you.” Haruka moved behind Rin, to push the bird slightly forward, and raised his hands. “I’m going to touch your wings now, tell me if you want me to stop.” He gently massaged the scapulars nearest Rin’s back, working out the tension and gradually pulling them apart from each other. He moved outwards along the swift’s wings, fingers slipping beneath the feathers, incrementally working his way through the tertiaries, secondaries, and primaries, as he rubbed and stretched out the underlying muscles.

 

Rin let out a slight moan. “That’s nice, Haru.”

 

Haruka pressed his lips to the back of Rin’s neck before he could second guess himself. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop them from taking you. I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner.”

 

“You’re here now,” Rin sighed. “That’s all that matters.”

 

Haruka kissed Rin’s neck again, then backed away to untie the swift’s wrists and ankles, which was easier and less traumatic work than undoing the toweling, his nimble fingers making quick work of the knots. “Let’s get out of here, Rin. Are you okay to walk or do you need me to carry you?”

 

A soft smile that reached Rin’s eyes and lifted the corners of his mouth assuaged some of Haruka’s guilt. “I’m pretty sure I can walk but I’m tempted to take you up on the offer of carrying me home.”

 

Rin cautiously got to his feet, groaning at the movement. Haruka watched with concern. “Are you hurt anywhere?” He knew he asked a lot with that question, and that it could not possibly be answered thoroughly in this moment, if ever. 

 

“I’ll be okay, Haru. It’s mostly just my head. If I’m being honest, it’s probably what you can see _and_ what you can’t see.” Rin paused and grabbed for Haruka’s hands, which he had not realized were shaking. “I’ll be fine though, everything can heal eventually. And you’ll be with me, right?”

 

“Always, Rin.” Haruka ran his eyes over the swift’s scalp and remaining hair, patchy, drab, and missing all its fuzzy softness. “Always.”

 

Rin’s eyes shone and he averted his gaze, but a frown abruptly passed across his face and he let out an ugly noise under his breath. “Haru, can you bring that burlap sack with us. I...don’t want to touch it but I don’t want to leave it here.” The kite heard the ire surging underneath the words, barely contained. 

 

“Of course,” Haruka replied without hesitation, and went to grab the bag the swift had indicated. 

 

“No Haru, don’t-”

 

Haruka made the mistake of peeking inside even as he heard Rin try to stop him. The sack was half full with the delicate fluffy down that used to be interwoven throughout Rin’s hair. He gagged and dropped the bag, a hand flying to his stomach. 

 

“Nevermind, leave it,” Rin begged. “I’m sorry, let’s just go.”

 

“No, I’ve got it. I can do it, I just wasn’t expecting it. This shouldn’t stay here, they don’t get to keep these. These are _yours_.” Haruka pulled himself together, ashamed at his reaction, and picked the burlap sack back off the floor. He resolutely held it closed and marched back over to Rin. 

 

They opened the door and were met with an empty parking lot.

 

“Do you know where to go from here?” Rin inquired, but stopped short when he noticed the confusion written all over the kite’s face. “What’s wrong?”

 

“They aren’t here,” he muttered under his breath. “Do you mind taking a slight detour before heading back to my place?”

 

“Your place?” Rin’s eyebrows knit in confusion. “I don’t think my roommate will let me sleep somewhere else after all this.”

 

“Ai is at my flat, and so is everyone else who’s been searching for you, including your sister. They’re all going to want to see that you’re okay, and I doubt I'll be able to make them leave once I bring you back there. Where you’re staying wasn’t the question by the way, you don’t have a choice, I’m not letting you out of my sight.” Haruka hated how pushy he sounded but the thought of leaving Rin tonight physically pained him. 

 

“Has Sousuke been involved too?”

 

“That’s actually who I’m trying to find right now. He’s part of the reason for the detour. We’re heading to the police station.”

 

It was a sizable distance by foot, Rin admitting to Haruka that he felt unsteady on his wings, but the two birds made decent time. Seeing the double doors renewed Haruka’s vitriol at this place and the people inside who pledged to protect and serve. He really hoped Sousuke and Makoto waited on the inside of this building, vultures already taken far away where they would be unable to bring further harm to unsuspecting birds. Agitation building, despite the recently recovered redhead beside him, he stormed through the doors.

 

Haruka locked eyes with his best friend, who sent him a relieved crinkly-eyed smile in return. He turned to Sousuke, but the albatross was already completely enveloped in Rin’s arms, his face looking the most relaxed Haruka had ever seen it. Rin’s shoulders shook and Haruka watched Sousuke hold him while he sobbed. Filled with a warmth that temporarily held back the anger, the gratified kite made his way over to Makoto.

 

“So what happened?” He needed to know how they had managed to get the vultures here and in custody so efficiently. 

 

The stork chuckled and shook his head. “Honestly Haru? I don’t even know. Sousuke tackled one to the ground and I just grabbed for the other one to hang on. I got him down too eventually. We were sitting on top of them for awhile, waiting for you and Rin, when we decided to take them in to the police before something went wrong. Sousuke said you two never saw any other vultures come and go in the nights you spent over here, so we figured it was safe to leave you with Rin in the garage, even assuming Rin wouldn’t be much use if something happened.” Makoto paused sadly. “How is he by the way?”

 

Haruka shrugged. “He knows he’s got some recovery ahead of him, physical and emotional I think. But I’ll let him talk about it with you if he wants to, I don’t want to gossip about him.” He peered down with disgust at the sack of crimson down he still clutched in his hand. “Hang on.”

 

Haruka approached the front desk and plopped the offensive bag down on the counter. “I’d like to submit this for evidence against the vultures that were brought in earlier tonight.”

 

The officer working desk duty took a look in the bag and frowned. “I’m sorry, we can’t use that. We don’t know how you obtained those feathers, which means it won’t stand against them as evidence.”

 

“What? Those feathers came off a bird’s head without his permission. Look for yourself.” The rage slowly built again, stewing in Haruka’s gut. 

 

“And he’ll be able to press charges and testify if he wants to proceed that way. But this won’t count as evidence. He could have pulled those feathers out himself to make his case stronger. Next time you should contact us so we can make the arrest and recover the victim.” The officer’s overly patient voice carelessly tossed a match on the gasoline-soaked resentment within Haruka. 

 

Before an explosion, a strong hand landed comfortingly on Haruka’s shoulder and Sousuke tugged on the kite. “Come on Haru, let’s get Rin home. That’s more important than _this_.” 

 

The front desk officer’s voice cut through the blanket of calm the albatross laid over Haruka. “Sir, don’t forget your bag.”

 

“I don’t want those,” he hissed over his shoulder, as Sousuke firmly steered him towards the doors, where Rin and Makoto waited outside. They both watched him with concerned expressions as he joined them. He took a couple deep breaths to steady himself, he never enjoyed feeling this out of control. Sousuke was right; Rin was back and that was where he needed to focus his attention.

 

Haruka moved towards Rin, who leaned against the half-wall behind him. He felt Makoto turn to Sousuke, heard them begin a conversation but did not care to make out the words. His interest lay singularly on the spectacular winged man in front of him, whose fervent red gaze was locked on his. He distantly noted his best friend informing him that the two of them were heading back to the flat. 

 

Haruka reached out blindly to grasp Rin’s hands, maintaining eye contact like his life depended on it. Perhaps it did. Rin pulled him in until their chests were pressed together, hands joined at their sides, while he tipped his head forward to lightly rest his forehead against Haruka’s. Despite being the one who had been in captivity, he exuded a tranquility in the moment that the kite envied. Rin still glowed, he was incapable of being anything less than radiant, but right then it was with a soothing energy that Haruka leaned forward to bask in. If he could bathe in Rin, he would.

 

Rin hesitantly extended his wings to his full impressive wingspan. He angled his head to the side and Haruka closed his eyes right before he felt soft, warm lips kissing his own. It was slow and gentle and perfect. Haruka unfolded his wings to shield them both from view, his primaries brushing Rin’s where their wings met, each providing half of the protective circle that enveloped them. 

 

When they finally broke apart, they were a little flushed and short of breath, but completely full of each other. Rin tugged on one of the the kite’s hands and beamed at him, the sun coming out for the first time in weeks. The swift cocked a brow. “Come on Haru, let’s fly.”

 

*********

 

EPILOGUE

 

_(Several years later...)_

 

Haruka still was not sure how he felt about their Sano flat being home base for all their friends. Everyone who knew him was aware of how much he needed his privacy, but quiet moments were few and far between. He glanced at the redhead in the kitchen, laughing uproariously at whatever Makoto had just said. Her ponytail swung wildly the harder she laughed before she stood on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his best friend’s cheek. 

 

The kite watched Rei and Nagisa going over their research at the table in the corner. He wondered if they had finally found the correct procedure for permanently fastening artificial down to a bird’s hair. He hoped they both knew how deeply he appreciated the concept that artificial down being woven into more heads meant that the Black Market appeal of down had plummeted since it was so hard to tell the difference. He felt indebted to the pair of them.

 

Haruka sat down on the couch next to Ai, who compiled the contact information of all the children he had recently recruited for the Sano Water Flying Club that gathered daily at Oguri Beach along the Uradome Coast. He enjoyed canvassing the neighborhoods in his spare time, ramping up interest in the new sport, parents instinctively trusting their chicks to the gentle dove. Haruka leaned over to look at the list. 

 

“That’s a lot of new families. Makoto's classes are mostly full but we'd love to force Gou to recruit and hire another teacher. Great job,” he congratulated the gray-haired bird beside him, who smiled in delight at pleasing Haruka.

 

A sharp knock at the door resounded throughout the flat. Haruka rolled his eyes as he went to answer the door. “Seriously Sousuke, how many times do we have to tell you to just come in? You’re welcome here whenever you want to show up.” His eyes roved down the police uniform stretched across the muscular frame of the albatross. “Is that a new silver bar?”

 

“I got promoted to Lieutenant yesterday. The Captain likes the headway I’m making on the improvements to our ocean patrols. I really want to tell Rin all about it. Where is he anyway?” Sousuke craned his neck, peering over Haruka’s shoulder trying to spot the swift.

 

“He’s still in our bedroom. He’s sleeping in because his sponsorship meeting is late. I think he was thrilled to not have to get up early for once to hustle for money to support SWFC. I’ll go get him.” Haruka moved away from the doorway so Sousuke could enter. “I made scones this morning, you should grab a few if you’re hungry. Makoto and Gou are holding the coffee hostage in the kitchen, I hope you can manage to get some.”

 

“I hope that’s all they’re doing,” Sousuke deadpanned, which made Haruka raise an eyebrow and shoot a significant look back over his shoulder at the albatross, before leaving the living space in favor of the serenity of their bedroom. 

 

Haruka pushed open the door and quietly made his way over to the bed. He stood to the side, watching Rin as he slumbered, burgundy hair splayed across his pillow, fuzzy natural down feathers fluttering in the cooling breeze of the ceiling fan. Haruka forgot about his mission and slipped under the covers to join the swift he loved so much sometimes it overwhelmed him. He scooted close, putting an arm around Rin’s sleep-warmed torso that rose and fell soothingly as he breathed. The kite pressed gentle kisses on Rin’s cheeks and eyelids and along his forehead, before tucking his head against the redhead’s shoulder. 

 

Haruka felt Rin slowly open his eyes and heard his breathing shift; he lifted his head to fill his vision with the red he adored. The swift smiled tenderly at him and rolled over on top of Haruka, propping himself up on his forearms. He eased open his dark chocolate wingspan and extended it fully to shelter them both, encouraging the kite to stay in bed with him a little longer. Haruka kept his own wings closed beneath him, completely surrendered to the all-encompassing love and affection under Rin’s feathery canopy.

 

*********

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> One of the things that initially drew me into the idea of the Winged AU was the idea of them stretching out their wings to cover up making out shenanigans. Romantic, right?
> 
> Thank you to my Discord support family who helped me theorize and map out and bounce around ideas for this silly thing. You are priceless. <3
> 
> PS I suck at titling things, it’s so hard. My working title for this was _A black-eared kite falls in love with a common swift wtf is this AU_. I changed it at the last minute.


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